Trio Voronezh, a Russian ensemble, brings unique mix to Memorial Center

Performing at the Libby Memorial Center for the final event of the season Thursday, March 27, is the acclaimed Russian Trio Voronezh.  

Tickets for the 7 p.m. show are $15, $12 for Kootenai Heritage Council members and $5 for students 18 and under.  Tickets are available at the usual outlets in Libby, including Cabinet Books, Chamber of Commerce, Homesteaders Farm & Ranch, Mountain Meadows, Rivermist, Rocky Mountain Music and The Western News.  In Troy, tickets can be purchased at the Hot Club and Booze ‘n Bait.

 Classically trained at the Conservatory in Voronezh (Russia), members Vladimir Volokhin (National Champion, All-Russian Domra Competition), Sergei Teleshev, and Valeriy Petrukhin formed the trio in 1993 in their native working-class city of Voronezh. They play traditional Russian folk instruments: a Domra (a three-stringed short-necked ancestor of the mandolin), a Bayan (a chromatic-button accordion with various registers) and a double-bass Balalaika (the three-stringed Russian national instrument with a triangular body made of maple).

 Trio Voronezh’s virtuosity and delightful artistic innovations allow the ensemble to alter the way audiences experience classical, folk and contemporary musical styles.  Their diverse repertoire ranges from the works of Bach, Vivaldi, and Tchaikovsky, to Russian folk themes, bluegrass, gypsy dance music, Argentine tangos and popular songs by Gershwin. 

This ever-expanding concert material is arranged by the trio’s members and performed entirely from memory.

 Discovered playing Bach in a Frankfurt, Germany, subway station, Trio Voronezh has since performed in numerous tours of the U.S., Canada and Europe. 

Performing with major symphony orchestras around the globe, including highly successful collaborations with Garrison Keillor, Doc Severinsen, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and other musicians and ballet companies, Trio Voronezh has earned audience and critical praise worldwide.

Describing one of Trio Voronezh’s performances, the Los Angeles Times’ Don Heckman wrote: “The traditional pieces soon brought the crowd to life, clapping enthusiastically as the rhythms accelerated and Volokhin’s  fingers  flew across his domra.  Petrukhin, his body moving in sync with his deep bass notes, and Teleshev, magisterially pulling everything together within the lush sounds of his bayan, completed the picture.”